[Former_Boosted_IS]

I am a person that is definitely not a fan of the orange hue we get on most of the "white" lights on our car. Whether it is the interior lights, reverse lights, or turn markers I have to say I would much rather true white or an icy white color. I have kicked around the idea of doing a full LED conversion, but I have not really found the right vendor to meet my needs. I also had some concerns about error codes and what is acceptable. I think I finally got tired of looking at the off white color, so I decided it was time to search more into the LED conversion.

These are the LED items I was looking to get:

- LED Reverse Light
- LED Rear Turn Signal
- LED Side Marker
- LED Full Interior Including Trunk
- LED License Plate Lights (didn't end up needing these)

I have had some hesitation because of some of the bad reviews on the forum about a few light vendors, and that really is why I have waited so long. After sending PMs back and forth with Mike@F1 Autohaüs, I felt I finally found the right vendor. With that, the review begins.

F1 Autohaüs Experience

I placed my order with Mike@F1 Autohaüs and it was a very easy process. I am a big fan of getting tracking information and I received tracking info on the same day I ordered the kits. The kits came quickly and I was installing the LEDs by the weekend. The purchase process was absolutely perfect. I had a few technical questions along the way and Mike was always very easy to get a hold of. He was able to able answer all my questions and he obviously has a very strong understanding of his LED products.

The products came to me well packaged and individually wrapped which means I didn't just get a bucket of LEDs left to figure out what goes where.



Error Free Reverse LEDs



Ultra High Powered Sidemarker LEDs



Error Free LED License with Heatsink



High Power LED Rear Turn Signals



Load EQ Kit for Rear LED Turn Signals



The Full Interior Kit.



I have to say Mike@F1 Autohaüs was very easy to work with and he is a superb lighting vendor.

Installation

I know many areas of this have been covered, so I will defer to those where needed. For the Full LED interior kit, here is a great DIY:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...r+installation

A few things I want to note, remember that if your LED doesn't illuminate, then it is probably either pushed in too far or backward in the socket. Second, you will need to trim a small amount of the plastic cover in the trunk on the E92 to fit the LED. You can use either a dremmel or razor blade to trim the area below. USE CAUTION WITH RAZOR BLADES.



Replacing the sidemarker light is very easy. Simply slide the entire lens toward the rear of the car and use your finger to lift the front out from the car. The entire assembly should come out of the car with very little effort.

I do however want to focus a little on how to change the reverse lights, rear side marker, and how to install the Load EQ Kit. The first step here is to open the trunk and clear out either side of any junk so you have access. We will start with the passenger side as that is a bit easier. First remove the side panel by twisting the black knob shown in this picture, then remove the panel.





This exposes the battery and the rear light panel. The panel looks like this. Notice the clip with the blue arrow. You will push that up, pull the lighting panel out, and unclip the wire harness.



From here, lets take a look at a lighting panel. The blue arrow indicates the reverse bulb and the yellow arrow indicates the rear turn signal.



You will simply replace these with the LEDs from the F1 Autohaüs kit. Replace the light board in the car, but don't hook up the wiring harness just yet because you need to install the Load EQ for the rear turn signal. I have done the harder work here for you by tracing the positive and negative wires in the harness. Here is a picture of the harness.



The wires you will want to note are on the bottom of the plug. The blue with brown stripe is the positive wire for the rear turn signal and the brown wire right next to it is the ground wire for the rear turn signal. If you prefer pins, the positive is pin 1 (blue with brown stripe) and the negative is pin 2 (brown wire). What you will need to do is use the T-taps included in the kit to place the Load EQ between the positive and negative wire. I suggest stripping a small portion of the wire or use a blade to thin the wire jacket to ensure good contact on the T-taps. Secure the T-taps on the wire in a location that is close to some sheet metal where you will later attach the Load EQ. The Load EQ itself then just plugs into the end of the T-taps. Here is what it will look like.



Peel off the backing on the 3M tape on the Load EQ and adhere it to some sheet metal in an area that is convenient. Here is where I attached it.



There is tons of room on the passenger side, so this is easy.

On the driver's side, this is a little different. There is a "door" that covers the rear light board that has to be removed. Simply pop it out.





That will expose the lighting board. Remove the board in a similar fashion as you did on the passenger's side of the car and remove the harness. Here is the wire harness of the driver's side.



Again, the blue with brown stripe is the positive wire for the rear turn signal and the brown wire right next to it is the ground wire for the rear turn signal. If you prefer pins, the positive is pin 1 (blue wire with brown stripe) and the negative is pin 2 (brown wire). Use the T-taps to tap these wires in an area that will allow you to mount the Load EQ to some sheet metal and plug in the Load EQ. It should look like this.



Then remove the backing on the 3M tape on the back side of the Load EQ and adhere it to some sheet metal. Here is where I mounted it.



Button everything back up and you are done.

Results / Error Codes / Flicker for E92

Obviously this is the section that many are interested in learning about. First I want to cover whether you get a flicker / strobe effect or errors when you start the car on the exterior LEDs. There are no error codes whatsoever for the F1 Autohaüs LED Sidemarkers or LED Reverse Lights. The F1 Autohaüs Rear Turn Signals do produce an error code upon start up of the vehicle, but once you use the signal once the error codes disappear. To me this is acceptable. Here is a picture after startup and a quick flick of the turn signal stalk in each direction. Notice no error codes.





The next question is do they flicker on the E92 at startup. The F1 Autohaüs Sidemarkers and F1 Autohaüs LED Reverse Lights do flicker for about a 1 second on startup. Actually, I think it looks like a short strobe and is kind of cool. LOL. The F1 Autohaüs Rear Turn Signals do not flicker or stobe upon start up.

Ok, now onto the results. First, let me show you a look at the F1 Autohaüs LED Reverse Light. They are beautiful and a nice 6k white!



Next, here is what the F1 Autohaüs Rear Turn Signal looks like.



Of course, here is some HD video.

Here is a look at the F1 Autohaüs LED Sidemarkers.



Here is an HD video.

Lastly, we will look at the F1 Autohaüs LED Interior and I have to say it is stunning now.









Conclusion

Mike@F1 Autohaüs made my LED transition painless and enjoyable. The order was processed lightning fast and shipment was quick. The products arrived well organized and protected. Mike was available for any technical questions I had and very knowledgable of his product.

The items are clearly superb quality high powered LEDs. There is indeed a flicker on the F1 Autohaüs Sidemarkers and F1 Autohaüs Reverse LEDs at startup, but I personally like the quick strobe effect. The F1 Autohaüs Rear Side Markers will produce an error on startup that disappears once you hit the turn signal stalk back and forth once. I would love error free here, but I can accept it since it is only at startup. Finally, the interior is completely error and flicker free.

The results are absolutely beautiful. The new 6k white look to my interior and exterior bulbs is exactly what I wanted.

I would absolutely purchase from Mike@F1 Autohaüs again in the future.

[stratplaya06]

Looks like a sick setup!

Still wish they could get rid of the flickering/startup errors (wouldn't mind paying A LOT more), but I think I am getting used to that concept.

Congrats man, and thanks for the HONESTY when it comes to errors and flickering, as it seems nobody is able to provide honest feedback about it.

[ibeclueless]

nice lights

[E92murdered]

great review ! never knew there was a tailight signal bulb till now as for the reverse light you just have to replace the one bulb? and put things back together..

[Craig@SupremePower]

nice write up as always...

[madmanhiker]

what a great write up. I too have a flicker at startup... also, noticed a flicker or two in my rear LED blacklines as well. I'll definitely check out f1 autohaus though. Love the interior kit.

[continentalg5]

Wow nice...might just pick these up once my E92 arrives.

Thanks for the review!

[onesuperboi]

Thanks for the review. =)

[shoes]

Originally Posted by Craig@SupremePower

nice write up as always...

+1

Your reviews are great!

[forza1976]

Wow, nice interior lighting... Good mod!

[Chewy734]

Thanks for the excellent writeup with pics!

[D@m!n!C@no]

nice!!

[MMAJNKE]

now thats a clean setup!

[nyc3r]

Install looks pretty straight forward. Any chance of the resistor causing fire or melt the trunk carpet.. are they supposed to go up to 2-300 degrees and there isn't any ventilation after you cover it up with the carpet. The white backup light is very nice though.

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by stratplaya06

Looks like a sick setup!

Still wish they could get rid of the flickering/startup errors (wouldn't mind paying A LOT more), but I think I am getting used to that concept.

Congrats man, and thanks for the HONESTY when it comes to errors and flickering, as it seems nobody is able to provide honest feedback about it.

Stratplaya06, thanks! The flickering looks like a quick strobe to be honest because it is not random, but consistent. I would also prefer to have no strobe, but the small price is well worth the gains.

I have always said I will review products honestly and without bias. I really am glad that is accepted so well.

Originally Posted by ibeclueless

nice lights

Thanks! For an inexpensive mod, boy they make a huge difference!

Originally Posted by bmwowner619

great review ! never knew there was a tailight signal bulb till now as for the reverse light you just have to replace the one bulb? and put things back together..

I didn't until recently too. LOL!

As for the reverse, yes it is that simple. You can get it done in probably 2 minutes total. Take out the old, put in the new. Done.

Originally Posted by Craig@SupremePower

nice write up as always...

Craig, thanks buddy! I know you are one of the heavily modded cars, so I appreciate the kind words very much.

Originally Posted by madmanhiker

what a great write up. I too have a flicker at startup... also, noticed a flicker or two in my rear LED blacklines as well. I'll definitely check out f1 autohaus though. Love the interior kit.

The interior is stunning and easy to do. I would strongly suggest it to everyone out there!

Originally Posted by continentalg5

Wow nice...might just pick these up once my E92 arrives.

Thanks for the review!

continentalg5,

You bet! I think you will really love them as they add much more elegence to the E92 in my opinion.

Originally Posted by onesuperboi

Thanks for the review. =)

Originally Posted by shoes

+1

Your reviews are great!

onesuperboi & shoes, you are welcome guys.

Originally Posted by forza1976

Wow, nice interior lighting... Good mod!

Forza, thanks! I enjoy unlocking the doors now and watching the interior light up a lot more now.

Originally Posted by Chewy734

Thanks for the excellent writeup with pics!

Originally Posted by D@m!n!C@no

nice!!

Chewy and D@m!n!, thanks guys.

Originally Posted by second_2_nun

now thats a clean setup!

I made sure the pictures captured the exact look, so I am glad you guys like it.

Originally Posted by nyc3r

Install looks pretty straight forward. Any chance of the resistor causing fire or melt the trunk carpet.. are they supposed to go up to 2-300 degrees and there isn't any ventilation after you cover it up with the carpet. The white backup light is very nice though.

The amp is sitting right under the carpet and a lot of other electrical items. I don't really think there is really any concern there whatsoever.

[SSDD]

Thanks again for another quality review. Honestly out of everything I have done mod wise to my car the lights from Mike get the most compliments and as you said he is the guy to go to for lighting imho. Your car looks great btw

[my07_335i]

just bought the interior kit from mike, after dicking around with 2 different sets of lights from superbrightleds.com (or something like that) colors were off, not bright, and kinda ugly looking...definitely can't wait to get the set in.

[Shazmonkee]

Question: How is the output of the LED reverse lights compared to OEM? Is it more visible?

[AllydNYC]

Originally Posted by Shazmonkee

Question: How is the output of the LED reverse lights compared to OEM? Is it more visible?

+1 on that

[Mike@F1 Autohaüs]

Originally Posted by Shazmonkee

Question: How is the output of the LED reverse lights compared to OEM? Is it more visible?

Your stock halogen (T15/921) bulb operates at 18W so they will be much brighter with usable yellow light. The LEDs will be more intense with a whiter light.

[Shazmonkee]

Interesting. Sounds great, thanks!

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by SSDD

Thanks again for another quality review. Honestly out of everything I have done mod wise to my car the lights from Mike get the most compliments and as you said he is the guy to go to for lighting imho. Your car looks great btw

SSDD, no problem at all. I am surprised too that such an inexpensive mod can get noticed so much. LOL!

Originally Posted by my07_335i

just bought the interior kit from mike, after dicking around with 2 different sets of lights from superbrightleds.com (or something like that) colors were off, not bright, and kinda ugly looking...definitely can't wait to get the set in.

my07_335i, while I cannot comment on the other set since I have first hand experience, I think you will like the F1 Autohaus kit!

Originally Posted by Shazmonkee

Interesting. Sounds great, thanks!

Shazmonkee, no problem at all.